Black Eye

Overview

A black eye is bruising and swelling around your eye, usually caused by a blow to the area, such as a punch or fall. It should get better within 2 to 3 weeks.

Immediate First Aid Steps

Things you can do yourself to ease a black eye

There are things you can do yourself to ease any pain or swelling from a black eye.

Do:

• gently hold an ice pack (or a bag of frozen peas) wrapped in a cloth to the area around your eye for about 10 to 20 minutes at a time, and repeat regularly during the first 1 to 2 days
• take painkillers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, for any pain
• after the first 2 days, gently apply a warm (not hot) heat pack or cloth to the area around your eye regularly during the day

Don’t:

• do not take aspirin unless prescribed by a doctor, as this can make the bruising worse
• do not press or rub the area around your eye
• do not put ice directly on your skin

When To Seek Medical Help

Seek immediate medical help (e.g. Emergency Department) if:

• you can see blood in your eye
• you have an irregularly shaped pupil (the black dot at the centre of the eye)
• you had a blow to the head and have bruising around both eyes
• you had a blow to the head and lost consciousness or have been sick (vomited)
• you have problems with your vision, such as double vision, loss of vision, seeing flashing light, halos or shadows, or pain when looking at a bright light
• you cannot move your eye

Do not drive yourself to the Emergency Department. Ask someone to drive you or call an ambulance instead.

Urgently see a GP or seek medical help if you have a black eye and:

• you have a headache that does not go away, or blurry vision
• the area around your eye is warm or leaking pus
• your temperature is very high, or you feel hot and shivery
• you're taking blood-thinning medicine (such as warfarin)
• you have a bleeding disorder (such as haemophilia)

See a GP if:

• a black eye does not go away within 3 weeks
  

Other Eye Injuries

There are separate information pages about:

• what to do if you have an eye injury
• what to do if you have a red eye